Composite Leaf Springs For Fords - Parallel Thinking

One of the obvious benefits of the ever-expanding aftermarket industry that supports our hobby is the availability of components and kits that make what used to be complicated jobs so much easier. Things that would have taken a few days' fabrication time in the past can now be completed in a few hours, such as engine and transmission swaps, steering column installs or suspension swaps.

The latter, whether front or rear suspension, can be particularly time consuming when you have to fabricate all the bracketry yourself, and the availability of kits that eliminate all the measuring, guesswork, and fabrication can greatly speed up the build process and make a project infinitely more enjoyable, not to mention the instant gratification you get when you're able to swap out a front or rear end in a weekend!

There are a number of kits out there that allow you to perform bolt-in swaps for rearends, and even a couple for front suspensions, and we followed along as Speedway Motors installed its composite leaf rear suspension kit for 1935-40 Ford chassis, which requires nothing more than basic tools and a spare weekend. A similar kit for 1941-48 chassis is also available. Swapping the old buggy spring for parallel leaves greatly improves the ride quality and allows fitment of a modern axle of your choice, eliminating the closed driveline banjo axle fitted by Henry.